The brick or woodwork around the opening of a fireplace is generally referred to as a "surround." Surrounds serve both aesthetic and functional roles. For instance, the surround can include a mantel which is a useful shelf. A surround also enhances the beauty of a fireplace, creating an attractive, warm location in a family room or bedroom.
A conventional method of forming a fireplace surround involves laying in solid bricks. However, the cost of a brick surround is substantial. Furthermore, such a brick surround requires skilled masons to install. Brick surrounds are also impractical in certain situations due to their weight, the amount of time needed to construct, and the mortar's low resistance to cracking. Wood surrounds also present problems. Most prefabricated wood surrounds do not meet minimal flammability requirements. Furthermore, the installation of most wood surrounds requires additional carpentry work to both the surround and to the wall it is attached to.
Mobile homes represent a large market to the prefabricated fireplace surround manufacturer. Yet due to the speed with which mobile homes are constructed, the fireplace opening is often imprecisely cut. The fireplace assembly might be installed "out of square," or a non-standard shaped fireplace assembly with non-standard components might be used. For example, the fireplace assembly typically rests on the floor with a stone hearth in front of it. The vertical supports of the surround assembly sit on top of this hearth. Yet hearths will vary in thickness from region to region and supplier to supplier. Therefore, the different thicknesses of hearths will raise or lower the surround in relation to the fireplace assembly.
These irregularities oftentimes cannot be masked by a prefabricated, non-adjustable surround. Gaps then exist between the surround and the fireplace assembly. Such gaps greatly detract from the beauty of the fireplace. More importantly, such gaps diminish the value of the mobile home. Therefore, a need exists for a fireplace surround which can be quickly assembled and easily adjusted to compensate for imprecisely installed or non-standard and non-standard fireplace assemblies with non-standard components. Additionally, such a surround needs to meet standard flammability requirements for mobile homes and must be installable with little or no need for additional carpentry.